Looking back to your reefing roots: Did you start with Instant Ocean salt?

[vlangel]

I not only started with it, 25 years later I still use it. I can add whatever I want to it easily and it has a good reputation with big public aquariums because it is reliable.

 

[Alexraptor]

Actually started with Reef Crystals back in 05. God I miss the salt mixes from back then, they smelled so oceany fresh out of the box and while mixing. Modern mixes just smell so sterile and clinical!

 

[Peace River]

I think I started with Rila Marine Mix in 1968.

Out of curiosity, did you ever meet Frank Hoff?

 

[mfinn]

When I started in the 80's, there was only Instant Ocean at the only store in town.
I few years later I saw another brand ( I can't remember the brand) and it had Scientific Grade on the label so I figured it had to be better. Right? My first experience with hair algae was the outcome.
So for the next 25 years IO was my go to brand. I have tried a few others since and have been using Reef Crystals for the last 10 years mostly.

 

[tharbin]

I started with IO in the mid-70s. I probably would not have gotten into the hobby without it. I never saw their factory but met Bill Kelley a number of times while he at the Cleveland Aquarium and I was just a kid. He was a friend of my father's and I seem to remember some story about him having an alligator in a sandbox in his living room...

 

[pscheel2]

Coralife because you know the free T-shirt lol. I went reef in 1998 and used Reef Crystals but have been using Instant Ocean for a while now.

 

[Sump Crab]

I started with it and still use it!

 

[Mwatts12]

Sure did, started reefing in 2016. As the salt became more expensive I switched to Red Sea blue bucket last year. Used it for a few months and went right back to purple bucket instant ocean. Can’t beat it.

 

[Silly clownfish]

Started in 1998 with IO and shifted to RC at some point after getting corals. I did try a couple of “premium “ brands over the years, but had better results with RC. Maybe it isn’t better, but I think consistency is the key and if you are always switching to the next best thing, or whatever is on sale, you lose that consistency.

I do wish I could still get the 200g boxes of RC from Amazon. Once you have a few buckets, it’s just wasteful plastic packaging. And I bpvan lift the 50 bags out of the box. A full bucket is too heavy to carry to the basement.

 

[polywise]

Instant Ocean for me since 1988
200gallon boxes since 2003
changed over to reef crystals around 2015...........

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Out of curiosity, did you ever meet Frank Hoff?

No, but I dealt with him and his wife a lot when he was running Florida Aqua Farms. I did meet Ed Mowka and Tom Frakes a few times over the years - once they took me out for lunch as a job interview, but the job was more sales-focused than I wanted.

 

[Paul B]

Instant Ocean wasn't sold when I started my tank in 1971 so I used ocean water. There was a salt called "Lampert Ks Marine Magic" that I may have used but I don't remember.

 

[AKReefing]

Pretty sure I started with the salt that came with a t-shirt. Which one was that?

 

[14 foot reef]

Pretty sure I started with the salt that came with a t-shirt. Which one was that?

IO gave awat long sleeve tees with a percula clown on them and their LOGO

 

[ca1ore]

I have used IO for as long as I can remember ..... but I started keeping marine tanks in 1988 (or thereabouts). Don't think there were any of the options then that there are today, so probably was IO right from the start.

 

[Imrahilwjz]

Started with Kent for my 90 gallon tank. After it crashed due to an ice storm/power failure, Kent wasn't available. When I started up my new bugger system I started using Fritz in the blue box or bucket.

 

[topjimmy]

Started with it in the 90s kept using it until I decided I was tired of the orange crud in the mixing container.

 

[Tuan Black]

Who remembers getting a Mini-Jet 404 powerhead in a 200 gallon bucket of Instant Ocean?

There were towels and tshirts too.

Those were the good old days. Your lucky if there’s even salt in the bucket lol

 

[kevgib67]

Started in the mid nineties so absolutely.

 

[tobster]

Yep started and still using it! It does the job